By Amira Sayed: CAIRO, May 13, 2018 - Egypt's Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources held a meeting concerning the first Cairo Water Week (CWW) (www.cairowaterweek.eg) due to be held from October 14-18 under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. The meeting was attended by Ambassador Ivan Surkoš, head of the European Union Delegation to Egypt, and Pasquale Steduto, Food and Agricultural Organisation regional Programmes Leader and Delivery Manager of the Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity. CWW will be held to promote water awareness, foster new thinking about the most pressing water-related challenges besides taking action towards water resources management and conservation for sustainable development. Addressing the audience, Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Ati said that water scarcity is a direct result of the growing population along with industrial and agricultural expansion. It is, he said, a matter that requires swift action by the whole world. The minister pointed out that the globe cannot face such grave water challenges, including providing access to fresh water and adequate sanitation services, without improving the water management systems. "By 2050, the majority of the world's countries will resort to reusing water as an inevitable result of the water deficit. Developing countries, especially in Africa, are suffering from water poverty, deteriorating development rates as well as deplorable conditions of water basins and water quality in general due to the lack of technical capabilities, "Minister Abdel Ati said. Egypt shares the same regional water hurdles especially water scarcity and the alarming effects of climate change, the Minister continued. He said the adoption of new water management schemes have become a pressing issue since the countries cannot achieve sustainable development and face climate change without smart management of water resources. "Such systems should take into consideration the shrinking quality and quantity of water," he said. Egypt, therefore, has decided to adopt a co-operative approach in hope of achieving the sustainable development goals, bearing in mind that water is considered one of the mainstays of national security, Minister Abdel Ati stressed. The anticipated CWW would provide a platform for all people and entities interested in water issues on the regional and international levels, he said. Besides shedding light on water challenges, CWW would highlight innovative solutions and tools to meet water challenges, he said. Ambassador Surkoš said that Egypt's irrigation sector is facing "very tough" challenges, a matter that requires more new initiatives to face them. He said that the CWW would help discover new ideas that can be applied in the water sector in co-operation with the Egyptian government.He pointed out that the water sector is given top priority in the EU projects in Egypt. "Egypt-EU water co-operation was valued at 425 million Euros in the last few years, providing 400 job opportunities in this sector's projects. The EU believes that it is time to face water challenges to ensure a safe life for all. The EU would support this through working with various partners in the Mediterranean," he said. Surkoš stressed that water should be available and secured for all and the EU would co-ordinate with the Egyptian government to further boost co-operation in this sphere. In his speech, FAO representative Steduto stressed the paramount importance of exchanging knowledge and expertise to make best use of this expertise in meeting all water challenges. He also pointed out that Egypt has a growing population and this requires increasing water resources, bearing in mind that the irrigation sector consumes 90 per cent of the water. In an interview with The Egyptian Gazette on the sidelines of the meeting, Steduto said that international conferences in general and the CWW in particular would help build momentum, boost dialogue and promote co-operation beyond boundaries. "Enhancing public awareness of water rationalisation, adopting developed monitoring systems and enhancing dialogue to ensure benefit sharing is a comprehensive package to deal with water challenges, especially in water-stressed countries," the FAO representative told the Gazette. Steduto said that the "climate change culture" is new for Egyptians and this requires more work. "Regarding FAO recommendations, we know there are certain parts of Africa that have the least water resources. Therefore, these should resort to other solutions like water desalination, underground water and revising the food system since agriculture is the largest water consumer in Egypt," he said. He also pointed out that FAO spares no effort to offer the required technical support to promote the water situation in Egypt. The ministry's planning chief Eman el Sayyed said the CWW would focus on five themes : Water management for sustainable development, Climate change and the environment, water scarcity and sanitation challenges and opportunities, science and innovation, and cross-boundary water governance and water sharing. A coalition of the deltas of 13 countries facing climate change will be announced. They include Egypt, Argentina, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam, el Sayyed said. The Delta Coalition (DC) is the world's first international coalition of governments that have formed a partnership to deal with the sustainable development of the Deltas. Egypt is the third and current Chair of the Delta Coalition. The 4th session of the Islamic Conference of Ministers Responsible for Water is to be held within the CWW under the umbrella of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC). Strengthening the role of young people in promoting the water situation, the first African young water professional forum is to be held as part of CWW. The forum would include a three-day workshop for young water professionals. In another development, the EU in co-operation with the Egyptian government will hold a joint event, creating a platform for co-operation in the water sector.
